Somi

Infobox musical artist 2
Name = Somi


Img_capt =
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Landscape = Yes
Background = solo_singer
Born = birth date and age|mf=yes|1979|06|06
Died =
Origin = Uganda, Rwanda, Champaign, Illinois, USA
Occupation = Singer-songwriter, musician, producer
Instrument = Vocals, cello
Years_active = 1998—present
Label = SanaaHouse Productions/World Village/Harmonia Mundi
URL = [http://www.somimusic.com/ www.somimusic.com]

Somi is an American singer & songwriter of Rwandan and Ugandan descent.

Biography

Laura Audrey Kabasomi "Somi" Kakoma was born in Champaign, Illinois while her father was completing post-doctoral studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. When Somi was three years old, her family then moved to Ndola, Zambia while her father worked for the World Health Organization. They returned in to Champaign, Illinois in the 1980s when her father became a professor at the University of Illinois. Subsequently, Somi spent the rest of her childhood in Champaign where she attended both University Laboratory High School and Champaign Central High School, and earned her undergraduate degrees in Anthropology and African Studies from the University of Illinois. After graduation, Somi spent a year doing medical anthropological research while working with AIDS orphans in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. [The New Vision, May 6th, 2003]

Somi moved to New York City in August of 1998 and soon became a fixture on the underground soul circuit. After several short productions, she independently released her first album entitled Eternal Motive (2003) on her own label SanaaHouse Productions. The album was co-produced by David "Sampsonic" Sampson and was once largely-out-of print, but was re-issued in 2008 for digital distribution. Somi received a Master's degree at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in Performance Studies while she began recording music for her second album.

Known in music industry circles for her tenacity and self-promotion, Somi's original and hybrid sound began to garner international attention from both jazz and world music audiences. In 2007, SanaaHouse Productions licensed Somi's Red Soil In My Eyes to the Harmonia Mundi/World Village label for her first major international deal. The record was received critical acclaim with the hit single Ingele that maintained a Top 10 position on U.S. World Music Charts for several months.

Other

[http://www.somimusic.com Official Website]
[http://www.myspace.com/somimusic Official MySpace]